China wants more foreign students to come here

The number of incoming foreign students studying in China falls far behind the number of Chinese going abroad to study, China Daily reports.According to the Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Students Studying Abroad 2013, 1.14 million Chinese were studying overseas last year compared to the 328,000 foreign students in China.The United States remains the top destination for international students, attracting 17.5 percent of the global total.According to the latest QS rankings, only seven Chinese universities were ranked among the top 200 world-class universities.The report stated Chinese universities are less competitive in terms of faculty, curriculum and student management. Only one percent of the total faculty consist of foreign teachers.Li Siyan, marketing director of Laureate International Universities’ China region said, “A lot of foreign students are interested in studying in China to learn not only the Chinese language but also the business culture, as China is an increasingly important economy.”However some find the Chinese educational system to be less flexible in allowing them to choose what and where to study.“Joint ventures can help boost our educational quality by introducing good overseas resources, teaching philosophies and management, which will surely attract more foreign students,” Wang Huiyao, director-general of the Centre for China and Globalization said.One thing that might help attract more foreign students? A better visa regime.[Image via: @melonhugh]